Carlisle and Car Adventures

We got up first thing this morning and went to see the Preston LDS Temple:

It is closed for cleaning, but a very nice man who is on the security detail met us and gave us a nice overview of the building of the temple and President Hinckley's involvement with it.  There is a stake center, the Missionary Training Center, a Family History Center, and a Distribution Center on the grounds!

We then went to visit Barrow-in-Furness and saw the Furness Abbey:

We then went into Dalton-in-Furness to see the Dalton Castle:

After a great lunch, we headed up to the lake district to see the sights.  About 20 minutes into that drive, there was some debris in the road that punctured both passenger side tires.  We spent about 4 hours waiting by the side of the road, but really it was near a campground.  We met a few people who were very nice and had a bite to eat there.  The first tow truck took us as far as Keswick where we walked around the town center and had some ice cream. The second tow truck driver took us as far as Carlisle where we are tonight at our planned hotel stop. There is a local pub with live music that is going strong still at 10:30, but is unlikely to keep me awake much longer.

The lake district is thick with Beatrix Potter lore:

And they have some very respectable mountains:

We've been working with the Avis and Audi roadside assistance folks as well as RAC Patrol and the Keswick Motor Cars tow drivers.  Hopefully tomorrow fairly early, we can get some tires sorted or a replacement rental car.  If not, we will be enjoying Carlisle for a day longer than planned prior to the transition to Scotland. (Come to think of it, "Scottish Transition" would make a pretty good rock band name.)

Oh, and it finally RAINED TODAY.  Just lightly while we were on the side of the road, but a downpour as we neared Carlisle.

Cheers,
Rob